North Dakota received the largest 2008 Early Reading First grant in the nation, totaling more than $5.6 million to be distributed over the next three years.
The money, from the U.S. Department of Education, will go toward development and implementation of MiND PLACE, North Dakota Preschool Literacy Acquisition Collaborative for Education. The program will include three area Head Start programs: Minot Public Schools Head Start; Early Explorers Head Start, Towner; and Three Affiliated Tribes Head Start, New Town, N.D.
MiND PLACE also will collaborate with the Reading First programs at Sunnyside Elementary School in Minot and Mohall (N.D.) Elementary School, as well as other regional elementary schools, to coordinate preschool to kindergarten transitional activities.
"The fact that this is the largest early literacy grant given in the nation is significant," said North Dakota superintendent of Public Instruction Wayne Sanstead. "Preparation to implement the North Dakota Early Reading First program has already begun with full implementation scheduled for next spring."
The Early Reading First program supports the development of early childhood centers of excellence that primarily serve children from low-income families and focus on all areas of development, especially on early language, cognitive and pre-reading skills.
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Individual preschools or Head Start programs may apply for the grants on their own, MiND PLACE Program Administrator Gail Schauer said, but this year, the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction applied for the grant on behalf of the programs involved. The money starts rolling in Sept. 1, she said.
North Dakota received such a large sum because it's a rural area, with the involved preschools and Head Start programs spread out miles from each other, Schauer said. The amount also can depend on what amenities and equipment already are provided at the locations.
MiND PLACE Early Reading First will feature eight strategies: increased time for learning; research-based literacy curriculum; print and language-enriched classrooms; research-based instructional practices that support individual needs; ongoing assessment and progress monitoring; Scaffolding Early Literacy, research-based professional development; home school linkages; and a comprehensive preschool to kindergarten transition program.
Gibson covers education. Reach her at (701) 787-6754; (800) 477-6572, ext. 754; or send e-mail to lgibson@gfherald.com .
